Atlantic City

In their zeal to attract new business, New Jersey regulators have also become more accommodating to casinos, allowing such former no-nos as twenty-four hour gambling and a larger percentage of slot machines on casino floors. Gripped by antiregulatory fervor, the regulators also have signed off on some questionable practices that clearly target the most vulnerable gamblers. The state now permits cash machines to be placed adjacent to the gambling tables, so bettors can get more money without having to go through the inconvenience of actually leaving their seats. The ATMs present a temptation that only the most disciplined of gamblers will avoid. Compulsive gamblers commonly use credit cards to gamble, and a 1997 study found that Atlantic County, the only county in New Jersey where casino gambling is legal, had a personal bankruptcy rate 71 percent higher than the rest of the state.

"Bad Bet, The Inside Story of the Glamour, Glitz and Danger of America's Gambling Industry," Timothy O'Brien, page 90